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I'm Here for You

Supporting a loved one struggling with mental health or mental illness can be incredibly difficult and is something we don't talk about enough. This project is aimed at 16 to 23-year-old Canadians of any gender who already believe in and care about mental health. Because of this, it presents a positive and encouraging message along with words of advice to help navigate a challenging situation.

Goals:

  1. Use colours, wording, and illustration in an encouraging way.

  2. Provide useful advice through research and personal experience.

  3. Make it feel personal.

A smiling sun peeks out from behind a hill. Text reads "I'm here for you: being there for someone without burning out. By Kate McHardy."

I took the initial thumbnail sketches (shown above) into Adobe Illustrator for further refinement and to experiment with colour.

After creating the base of each spread in Illustrator, I took them into Photoshop to add texture, outlines,cand hand-lettered text.

The book's cover and 5 spreads. The cover features a sunrise that wraps around the book and inside of the covers. The first spread shows a group of four blob friends on a purple hill in front of constellations. It reads "one person is not meant to be an entire support system. You can't always be there and that's okay. You are one star in a larger constellation of support." The second spread shows two blob characters building a block tower together and the text reads "You can work wit hthe person you're supporting to build other resources. Consider adding resrouces such as a therapist or phychiatrist, supportive family members or friends, and the numbers for relevant crisis lines." The third spread shows a blob character in a tent surrounded by trees and water and assures readers it's okay to have boundaries. The fourth spread compares self-care to taking care of a plant, shown on a windowsill. The fifth spread has a character in a bubble and explains how to set boundaries.

By using "happy" colours, illustrations, and hand-lettered text, this book acts as a friend, guiding the reader through supporting a loved one
and making it a little bit less scary.

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